Report: Parental ‘Apathy’ Blamed for Rise in Chronic Absenteeism (The 74)

September 09, 2024 by Ed Trust

The report comes as more states are showing leadership on the issue. On Monday, Attendance Works, an advocacy and research organization, announced that 14 states have committed to cutting chronic absenteeism in half over five years in response to a challenge it issued in July along with the American Enterprise Institute and EdTrust. Chronic absenteeism peaked at 28% nationally in the 2021-22 school year. The Rand survey of nearly 200 district leaders estimates that rates dropped to about 19% last school year, but that’s still above the pre-COVID level of 15%.

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